Hide And Seek
by Italian Roulette
Summary: They never intended to fall in love; it was instinct. But when a selfish mistake threatens to take the lives of both Goten and Pan completely, can the group undo their error or will the young warriors perish without ever having tasted love? GotenPan


_Well, hello, hello, ladies and gentlemen, how are you all this fine day? I have returned with yet another new story, this one the first of quite a few to come._

_Now, this story is an odd pairing, as I have become a fan of Goten/Pan stories and since there are so few of those stories (most not really being worth the read, truly), I have decided to make it my quest to redeem this._

_As a side note, the ages varied where ever I looked, so I decided to go with Pan being 20 and Goten being about 31 (he'll turn 32 as the story continues). That makes everyone roughly 10 years older than they were in GT. Nothing too major, any other big changes will be listed as I go._

_I don't own DBZ but I hope you all enjoy this story anyways~ :)_

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**Hide And Seek  
**

**Chapter 1**

**On Wary Wings, She Flies On**

"God dammit, Vegeta, did you have to break them _all_?!" Bulma shrieked, brow twitching in irritation as she eyed the myriad of mechanical parts spewed across the Gravity Room's floor. The haughty Prince she called her husband gave her a bored look as if the answers should be obvious and the blue haired woman gave another cry of frustration in response as she kicked a random hunk of rubber several feet across the room. "Gyaah! I take that back – you didn't _break_ them, you frikkin' _destroyed_ them! And I _just_ fixed them! What the hell is the matter with you?!"

Vegeta scoffed at the woman's ranting, sipping leisurely from a water bottle, completely unperturbed by her rage. "Perhaps if you created something worth a damn, they'd last more than 5 minutes. Honestly, even the android's brat could've taken those out."

It wasn't anywhere close to true, but realistic facts mattered little to the Prince of all Saiyans – he'd wiped the floor with those once sophisticated pieces of machinery and he would be damned if he did something _nice_ like apologize for destroying what he knew had been several weeks of long, hard work.

Besides, he secretly enjoyed making his mate angry – he liked to think of it as his own way of helping her stay young.

"Oh, I'll show you something 'worth a damn', you son of a bitch," Bulma hissed, shoulders heaving as she reached a level of anger she hadn't encountered since Trunks had wrecked her favorite capsule vehicle on a joyride to impress a former secretary of his. "Maybe I should just start cloning Goku to follow you around all day, just for the sake of talking! He'd damn well be a better house guest!"

Okay, that one didn't amuse Vegeta at all, and the onyx eyed male glared darkly at his mate to let her know she had crossed a line by throwing the "G" work into it.

Bulma didn't miss that look, nor the message, but instead of pushing further, she tucked the little victory away to gloat over later. Arms crossed firmly under her breasts, the genius glowered at the man before her with dark promises of revenge to come. Message conveyed, the woman turned on her heel, punting another scrap of debris out of her way as she marched out the door to go fume in her lab.

"Thank Kami Pan is coming back tonight. If she can keep you from breaking everything in sight for even a day, she'll have my eternal gratitude – I can't keep up with this crap," the blue haired woman grumbled as she walked, not caring if the Saiyan heard her or not.

But the declaration made the Prince's brow perk up in intrigue for a moment. Kakarot's brat's brat was returning from that ridiculous education her father insisted on? Not that he found it entirely useless, but he had been exceptionally irritated when Gohan had all but forced the girl to some University several hours away by flight when the girl had actively protested. And he hadn't been happy about losing his sparring partner, although, he'd rather chew sand than admit that out loud.

Kakarot had brought the topic up once, finding it endearing how the two had trained together since the girl was barely a preteen and the now 20 year old woman was stronger than half of the other saiyans in their group. Vegeta had knocked the man silly before he could even finish that line of thought, but he was sure the half-wit still knew his reasons.

The girl had potential despite only being 1/4th saiyan, and where the Prince saw potential, he was determined to nurture it to its peak, if only to see where that peak was.

Closing his eyes briefly, Vegeta let his ki sweep out over the area, searching for his missing partner as he realized a decent spar was finally in reach again. And with a speed he couldn't help by be amused at, he felt the woman racing toward the home of her parents and he withdrew his ki with a nod of approval.

But then came another thought that he should've pieced together sooner.

If Bulma knew Pan was returning home today, it no doubt meant that it was because she had volunteered to host some kind of annoying gathering to "celebrate" the brat's return. And that thought alone sent the Prince's mood plummeting south like a faulty elevator, which didn't bode will considering he hadn't entirely been in a good mood to begin with.

Cursing audibly to himself, Vegeta took another angry swig of his water bottle before tossing the half full remains blindly into the mass of robotic debris behind him as he stalked toward the kitchen.

Celebrations meant people, and the man was not in the mood to deal with all those morons for the soul purpose of welcoming a girl home that was nearly as antisocial as he was.

Striding into the kitchen, two heads turned in his direction in acknowledgement of his entry; both too busy shoveling a freakishly large snack down their throats to actually speak. Vegeta glared at his son and Kakarot's second brat, his dark mood daring them to ask him what was wrong. Which darkened once again when the Prince inhaled as he walked by, automatically feeling his abdominal muscles bunch and his nose wrinkle in disgust.

"For the love of Kami, brat, if you don't do something about that stench, I'll kill you myself," he couldn't stop himself from hissing, brow twitching just as his mate's had not 10 minutes ago.

Trunks and Goten looked up at the man, the latter of the two blinking slowly, his head tilting to the side as he chewed. "Bu' I jus' ha'a 'hower," he spoke around his food, as confused as ever, Trunks's expression not far off.

"Yeah, Dad, you tell him that every time you see him. He doesn't smell bad to me," the lavender haired male frowned between bites, watching his father with the same sharp eye for detail he'd inherited from his mother.

Vegeta growled at the two men, almost having to bite his tongue to keep from hissing out a reply. Of course Goten didn't smell at all to Trunks, he's been nearly attached to the man's hip since they'd been toddlers so the change hadn't registered to the lavender haired demi-saiyan like it did to someone who wasn't as close to the annoying brat. That, and the shift in the male's scent had happened a number of years ago at this point, and the Prince was almost concerned with both the lateness and duration of it.

Kakarot's second son had hit his physical maturity roughly 3 years ago, and since that time, the now 31 year old hadn't managed to mate anyone. Not that the tall martial artist wasn't capable of finding willing partners (or at least, so he'd unintentionally overheard in excruciating detail from time-to-time), but either the young man hadn't been properly educated on the topic (looking at his mother and father, Vegeta didn't rule this out) or his blood was holding back his instinct – also a viable possibility.

Either way.

With his body in its prime and his heritage keeping him at the youthful appearance of his early 20s, the pheromones the brat gave off would keep going until instinct kicked in or someone finally strangled the boy. On days like today, Vegeta strongly considered the latter.

"Yay~! Good news, guys! I just got a text from Videl – our Panny has arrived safe and sound!" Bra squealed, Marron at her heels as the two girls danced into the kitchen with all the finesse of professional ballerinas.

Vegeta didn't bother to curse at the girls, despite the volume and tone of their voices threatening to give him a migraine already. Although his daughter had outright refused training and her power-by-blood, Vegeta couldn't find it in himself to resent the girl's decision. She had grown powerful in her own way, choosing to train her mind after her mother instead of her body like her father. And as his little girl, his daughter would get whatever she damn well wanted.

Damn these human emotions rubbing off on him…

"Alright, party's on, folks!" Trunks grinned, catching Marron around the waist as she floated by and pulling the blonde woman toward him. The woman chuckled at the action, leaning down for a peck before shimmying out of the demi-saiyan's hold to return to his sister's side.

Trunks had mated the daughter of Krillian and the android over 4 years ago, having been struck by the heat of his maturity like a sucker punch from Vegeta himself before the Prince had even noticed the change in his son.

Their bond would never be as a true bond should, having been done far too sloppy and without proper regard as he and Bulma's had. Whether that be because of his half human make up or just the plain fact that he hadn't been paying attention when Vegeta had awkwardly breached the subject in his teen years to remember, he wasn't sure.

Yet the couple had remained together over the years in what he suspected had started out as mere convenience more than anything. While for a brief time many years ago Vegeta had entertained the idea of pushing his son to mate Pan at one point, the idea had been put to rest the moment he'd smelt the change in his son's scent, felt the spike in his ki and saw the teeth marks in the blonde's neck.

Trunks would be connected with that woman until the day she died, be it as her lover or the shadow lingering never-too-far behind. A pitiful fate for the man, seeing as she would never be able to complete that bond as a human, but that was something Vegeta could at least sympathize with.

The thought of his human wife brought the Prince's eyes to his daughter, watching as she giggled and laughed amongst the table of offspring-turned-adults.

Somehow, somewhere, his daughter had hit maturity before he had been prepared, and the knowledge that his little princess had mated an unknown man without his knowing or approval drove him mad. His daughter may have abandoned her potential as a warrior, but she couldn't ignore pure instinct.

Although, Vegeta could safely – and thankfully – deduct one fact out of that incident. Despite hitting maturity at about the same time, she had not mated Goten. The two of them in the same room together already drove him to the brink of insanity – any offspring they reared would most certainly tip him over that last step before he started back to his old goals of destroying the universe.

Even he cringed at _that_ mental image.

All he was waiting for now was for Goten to get his ass in gear and actually mate a woman. The Prince swore he'd audibly call Kakarot his friend if the orange clad idiot could help move that one along. _Anything_ to get that damned smell of saiyan and arousal out of the air!

"Bra, Marron, I was just looking for you," Bulma grinned as she entered the kitchen, Chi-Chi not far behind as the two busied their hands tying aprons around their waists.

Vegeta bristled at their presence but stayed silent against the counter. Their migration to the kitchen could only mean one thing: Bulma was in party mode.

"I need you to go help your grandpa clear out the indoor garden for the party. Make sure there are enough seats for everyone and for the love of Kami wait for Pan to get here before you start hitting the wine – it's supposed to be for dinner!"

The two younger women smirked slyly, nodding in reluctant understanding as they scurried off to do as told – and no doubt hit Bra's secret stash of wine she kept in her study.

"And Goten, there's a whole boar in the freezer capsulated on the back of my car from Goku – could you go and get that for me?" Chi-Chi asked in a way that may have sounded like a question, but her youngest son knew better than to say no.

"Roth'r!" he saluted instead, mouth still full of food as he shoved one last bite in as he stood.

"And chew with your mouth closed, dammit! How old are you?" the dark haired woman hissed, towel-whipping her son in the back of the head as he took off laughing, only to choke a second later.

"Trunks, go help him," Bulma ordered casually, ignoring the sound of the young man choking in the doorway as if it were nothing.

"Gotcha," he nodded, jumping up and jogging toward his best friend. "Breathe, man!" he laughed, almost as casual as his mother as he pulled back and smacked the black haired male hard on the back once.

The force popped someone out of Goten's mouth that resembled a hunk of bone and the dark eyed male gasped for air before a classic Son grin swept his face. "Hey, thanks, man!"

"Anytime, bro."

And then the two were gone without further incident.

And the two women remaining turned their gaze slowly to Vegeta.

"And then there was one," Bulma hummed smugly, the expression and attitude making her look 20 years younger.

"Go on, Vegeta, we can't cook with you in here," Chi-Chi scolded, arms crossing under her breasts and further reminding the Prince on why his rival had no backbone at all. It made him thankful for his own prideful and stubborn nature. If he had been any bit as lesser a man, he almost thought he might cower under the woman's dominance.

The key word there being _almost_.

As in fucking never.

"I believe we've had this argument before, woman. I'll leave when I damn well want," he declared, picking up a slice of mysterious looking pizza from his son's discarded plate to gnaw on.

"Vegeta," Chi-Chi growled in warning, hand reaching for a sturdy looking wooden spoon beside the sink.

"Veggie, go shower while I sent my interns to clean the Gravity Room. It's gotta get clean if you want to spar with Panny, remember? And unless _you_ want to do it, you better get lost."

Onyx eyes studied his blue eyed mate, one brow raised at her surprisingly nonviolent offer. He had fully intended to clear out the room himself, but he had secretly got a kick out of watching one of those pathetic idiots mess with the controls and throw the gravity up to 50 times earth's norm, so sure the pod "couldn't possibly" impersonate and intensify a natural force.

That had most certainly entertained the Prince more than he cared to admit.

With the promise of a possible repeat lingering in the air, the proud Prince grunted his retreat.

Yes, that would most certainly be worth this hardly notable submission.

**xXx**

Why am I here again? Pan wondered for what seemed like the millionth time that evening, still as far from an answer as she had been the first time she had asked herself.

"Panny, c'mere, let me fix your hair," Videl grinned from the from where she'd flipped around in the front seat, wide blue eyes not looking nearly as tired as they had in recent years as she gazed at her only daughter in the back seat.

"Mom, quit it. Seriously," Pan whined, swatting at her mother's hand lightly, knowing better than anyone that she had to be careful with her strength with her mother. The woman may have been one tough ticket back in the day, but she was still human, and as Pan had learned from the prior years in public schools, humans were very fragile.

Too fragile.

"But Pan, it's so long now you can finally put it up! I always thought you'd be beautiful with it that long. You must have so many boys falling all over you back at sch-!"

"I hardly think she has time for that with all of her studies," Gohan cut in, eyes on the path before him, not an ounce of humor in his dark eyes. "Besides, none of the boys are any good around that city."

Videl frowned at her husband, not happy over the lengths his overprotectiveness had risen to over the years. At first, it had almost been endearing, but now, with her daughter 20 years old as of a month ago, Gohan's heavy opinion and actions on the subject was just…

Excessive.

"Who are you to judge them like it's _your_ choice?"

"I'm your father; it's my job."

"To scare everyone away that even says 'hi' to me?"

"No, to protect you."

Videl watched her daughter's eyes narrow in warning and didn't even have to sense ki to know Gohan was doing nothing but enraging the young woman. "I don't need you to protect me, _daddy_."

"Pan," Gohan's voice warned before Videl decided it was time to step in.

"Enough, both of you," she huffed, twisting back around in her seat to sit right and crossing her arms below her breasts. "This is supposed to be a good day – our baby has come home from college after almost 3 years and all you two can do is argue. Can you at least _pretend_ to get along? Just for tonight?"

Silence fell over the hover-car along with a tension that made Videl's heart ache. She understood where Gohan was coming from, she really did, and had she thought herself strong enough to defend her daughter, she would stand right beside him and do so. But what unsettled her at times was the lack of how she identified with Pan over the subject, having gone through the same damn thing with her own father at Pan's age.

She knew she should, but she didn't. Instead she either took Gohan's side or silenced the whole conversation altogether, ignoring it and pushing it away. It had been Chi-Chi and Bulma that had first pointed that out, but Videl hadn't known how to correct it – her mother having died when she was young, she'd never had that vital role model in her life. And now she feared that Pan would become the same way, but by pushing away from a mother that never supported her like she should.

As that thought left a cold feeling seeping through her, the blue eyed woman had never been so thankful to see the broad outline of Capsule Corp come into view and she felt Gohan take her hand in support.

He could feel the emotion rolling off the woman he mated, and her concern was not lost to him.

It was just complicated.

No sooner had he brought the vehicle to a stop Pan was shoving the door open, ignoring her parents' cries of surprise as she made her escape from the cramped car. She always hated those things – it unnerved her being in such small quarters where she had no control over what was going on. She was someone who had to stay in open spaces and fly of her own will.

Her grandmother had said she was like her grandfather like that, and that knowledge had made them both smile.

Goku was currently off on some odd training fiasco with Uub and had been gone for just under a year. She missed his letters, no matter how terrible his grammar was or sloppy his handwriting. He at least would listen to her. Everyone else just… didn't.

She reached the door quickly, not bothering to knock as her hand went for the handle. And it almost surprised her when said door handle disappeared before she could touch it as the door was thrown open and Yamcha stood grinning down at her.

"Y-Yamcha?" she blinked, the tall dark haired man that had known her grandfather since his childhood smiling wider at her as he reached out to heave the young woman into his arms.

"P-chan~," he greeted fondly, swinging the girl up and around before crushing her in a massive hug. "Y'see, for some reason, no one thought I was quick enough to get here in time to see you, but what do you think they'll say when they find out I got the first hug, hmm?"

"Looks like we're about to find out," Pan couldn't help her giggle as she felt a flood of several ki heading toward the front door and Yamcha's shoulder's shook with his laughter as he set his old friend's granddaughter back down, but kept an arm around her shoulders.

And not a second later, Bra and Marron came barreling around the corner, Trunks and Goten skidding unsteadily on the floor behind them.

"Ow, shit!" Goten yelled as he lost his balance and hit his hip hard on the stone tiled floors. "That was _mean_, Bra!"

"Not my fault you can't keep up!" the girl grinned, Chi-Chi and Bulma appearing as their whole group began leafing in one-by-one.

"Too late, guys! Man, for all of you that were callin' me old earlier, ya'll sure are the slow ones! I've already hugged her _twice_," the scarred man grinned, squeezing the girl's shoulders again as Bra threw herself at the raven haired girl. His strength was welcomed as Pan nearly stumbled back at the force of the blue haired girl.

Since when was Bra _strong_?

"Whatever, oldman, time to pass her along," the blue haired demi-saiyan squealed, hugging Pan tight, the return of her best friend reminding her just how long the dark haired female had been gone. "Kami, Pan, it feels like you've been gone forever!"

"Ha, agreed," Pan smiled, hugging Bra just as tight. "Too long."

"Alright, Bra, c'mon, don't hog her!" Trunks whined childishly before a knock to the back of the head made him yelp in surprise.

"Speak for yourself, boy – family first!" Chi-Chi scolded as she shoved her way around him and Goten, taking the ebony haired girl into her arms just as Bra released her to breathe.

"Oh, baby girl, you've gotten so beautiful! I've missed you so much!"

"G-Grandma Chi-Chi," Pan gasped, torn between the pain of the woman's hug and the need to be close to her elder family member.

"Mom, you're crushing her!" Gohan sighed as he and Videl made their way up to the front steps to join their daughter's 'Welcome Home Committee'.

"Well, what do you expect – she's been gone for so long!" the greying woman barked, glaring at her eldest son in disapproval. Pan almost face-palmed at their exchange.

"Continue arguing all you want, but pass the goods!" someone right behind her laughed and the 20 year old had only enough time to blink before a warm hand pulled her from Chi-Chi's arms, spun her around, and wrapped around her waist before she was hefted up and against another body.

Large dark blue eyes widened at the action as the culprit buried his head into her abdomen just below her breasts and sighed, squeezing her tight. A mass of shaggy black hair and a familiarness about his ki told her who her captor was and Pan laughed as she hugged her uncle as tightly as she could in her position, ruffling his already messy hair.

"Missed you, too, Uncle Goten."

"Kami, don't go anywhere for that long ever again – I missed the coolest niece in existence," the tall male squeezed her once more before reluctantly setting her back down. Then Goten took half a step back, eying his brother's daughter as she ran a hand through her long hair idly.

The girl had been barely 17 when Gohan had sent her off to school and Goten had been one of many that hadn't seen the girl since then. She looked taller now, if only by an inch or two and possibly a little thinner. Of course, he did not doubt that she was still every bit as powerful as she'd been before she left, the muscle he's felt as he hugged her leaving no room for doubt.

But what stood out the most to the 31 year old male wasn't her height or muscle, it was the length of her hair and the almost otherworldly glow to the girl that made him stare in wonder.

"Kami, Panny, you look great," he admitted, grinning that Son grin and reaching out to play with a stray lock of hair. "Your hair looks really pretty long. And you smell pretty, too."

Pan flushed lightly. No one ever called her pretty. "Thanks, Uncle G. Yours in getting long again, too, huh? I like it better that way – looks good."

"Thanks," Goten chuckled, still appraising the woman before him when someone else's arm swept between them and pulled her away.

He couldn't explain what happened, nor could he place the sudden panic that shot through his chest as he watched his best friend pull his niece out from in front of him. His arm shot out without thinking, fingers wrapping around Pan's waist with a strength that surprised them both.

"Uncle Goten?"

"U-um," he stuttered, trying to process what he'd just done and why. "Uh, d-don't forget you got a lot of catching up to do with us tonight, ok?" he lied sheepishly, laughing it off as he forced his hand to let go and rub at the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh, haha, don't worry, I won't," Pan laughed at the man, smiling in amusement before she was swept back into the arms and greetings of the other people in the room.

Goten watched her go before he frowned and looked down at his seemingly traitorous hand. That had most certainly never happened before. And he couldn't figure out why it had, honestly. It was almost… eerie.

Sighing in exasperation, Goten shoved his hand into his pocket and headed for the back door. Some fresh air might do him some good – it suddenly felt hotter than usual in there.

Chi-Chi felt her own frown bloom over her face as she watched her youngest son head for the door, her brows drawn together in confusion. She'd seen the exchange and also the surprise on Goten's face at his own impulse, and the sight had drawn a spark to the back of her mind as if she should remember something about it. But try as she might, when nothing came to her, she just decided to tuck the information away into the back of her mind to relay to Goku at another time.

For now, she'd focus on making up for lost time with that granddaughter of hers.

**xXx**

Pan sighed as she ducked around a corner, more than happy to escape the crowd for the time being. Not that she didn't love each and every one of them to pieces, but she'd never been one for too much attention, and being center stage like that just… unsettled her more than she was used to tolerating.

"About time you got out of there. I was starting to think I'd have to drag you out myself."

"Vegeta!"

Boy, was Pan glad to see the pompous Prince, right now! She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a decent spare.

"Brat," Vegeta greeted assessing the girl he'd watched grown into the warrior he knew she was capable of being. Her hair was longer and she looked thinner, but the full blooded saiyan could still see the power brimming in those lithe limbs, almost begging for an outlet worth her time.

Smirking, the man pushed off the wall behind him, arms crossed over his chest as usual. If she needed a good fight, how could he deny the child he viewed as a second daughter the pleasure? "Let's go, brat – I haven't got all night for you to decide if you want to spar or not."

Pan blinked at the man before a Son grin lit up her face. "Ha, like there's a decision to be made there!"

And there wasn't. No sooner had they entered the Gravity Room, Vegeta was pleased to learn that the spawn of his rival had in no way regressed in what he'd taught her and almost seemed to have improved, if only slightly.

But even a little bit was enough to satisfy him, and Vegeta almost deemed the knowledge worth having all those fools in his home to find out.

But it was an hour into their spar that something peculiar even by Vegeta's standards happened. He'd already gone Super roughly 20 minutes ago, know as soon as the girl saw his hair flash gold and ki glow brightly, the image of her goal always motivated her, allowing her to push her ki that much harder, just itching to feel that same power encase her.

And as always, she pushed up, up, up; up until she couldn't anymore and swung with everything she had. It was at that level that she'd usually be able to hold her ki, drawing it out and stretching it in a way Vegeta had never seen anyone maintain before, something that always impressed him.

But it was in that strung out crescendo that Vegeta felt something off.

If he had been anyone else sparring with Pan he was certain no one would have caught the irregularity, not even Kakarot. After all, while the flux wasn't NATURAL someone could have easily wrote it off as just faulty ki control.

And he wasn't so sure why it had caught his attention at all.

Ever so subtle, her ki would spike, reaching a peak outside her norm and then it almost felt like it popped away, dropping considerably low before surging back up again, pushing that peak like some kind of off-beat heartbeat. The shifts hadn't immediately concerned him more than intrigued him, but as the pulse continued, the toll it took on Pan made Vegeta drop his defensive stance as she lowered herself out of the air and dropped to one knee.

"Dammit, what the hell is this?" she panted hard, as if they'd been fighting for half the day instead on one hour. The color was draining from the rest of her face while a flushed red settled over her cheekbones only, and the Prince narrowed his eyes.

That certainly wasn't a typical happening.

"Brat," he started, getting the young woman's attention, "are you alright?"

Pan stared at him for a moment, unsure how to answer as she didn't know what exactly was going on. It felt like… her whole body was hurting. Like it was trying to shift around her insides, for lack of better description. "I don't know, this has never happened before," she panted, pushing herself to her feet and stumbling toward a pyramid of water bottles Bulma's interns must have left after cleaning up.

She drank greedily, assuming the sudden weakness must have something to do with her hydration level, but Vegeta kept watching her ki closely.

Spike, drop, spike, drop; up and down, up and down.

For some reason, the Prince of all Saiyans felt as if he should recognize such an odd pattern, but the rationale escaped him as quickly as his temper on a hot day. And the more the occurrence persisted, the more his frustration nagged at him.

What was he missing….?

Until Pan tossed her empty bottle aside and returned to the center of the room, determined to work through the anomaly as she dropped down into a defensive stance even as she continued to pant and fight the fatigue pulled at her awareness.

The man nearly laughed in approval of the action. Yes, Son Pan was most definitely a saiyan, alright.

"We gonna keep going or what?" she snapped when he didn't take the offensive, obviously frustrated with the happenings of her own body. Vegeta almost considered it, but his saiyan instinct pulled at him and insisted otherwise. And if Vegeta let anything rule him, it was his instinct.

"No, brat, that's enough. Go home and sleep."

The look on the girl's face reminded Vegeta of himself at one point, and as such, knew the 20 year old was anything by pleased with that decision.

"_What_?"

"You heard me, girl."

"Oh, come on, Veggie, it's probably nothi-!"

"Probably or not, I said that was enough and you'll listen to me."

That spike rose higher with her anger and Vegeta rose rise own ki in warning, letting the weight of his power force her to stumble out of her stance in her off-put state.

"D-dammit, Vegeta!"

"Pan."

And just like that she stopping fighting him, staring at her mentor with a mixture of frustration, fatigue and reluctant respect. He only used her given name with important things, and she knew better than to ignore that.

So with one last angry curse, Pan started for the door, wiping the sweat from her brow as she went. Vegeta grunted as the door closed behind her, scratching his scalp in his own frustrations of not knowing something his instincts told him he should. It made him feel so… _human_.

While in his mental combat, the door to the Gravity Room swished open quietly and Vegeta felt a wave of calmness sweep over him as Bulma entered the room. "Vegeta, is everything ok? Pan just left and… she didn't look so good."

The onyx eyed male grunted as he went to grab his own water bottle from the lopsided stack and gave his mate a pointed look, choosing his words carefully.

"She'll be fine; she just doesn't like being told no."

Bulma knew enough of her husband to know he was leaving out something, but trusted him enough to tell her if it was important.

"Oh? Maybe you're rubbing off on her after all. Sometimes Chi-Chi and I like to joke that she was meant to be your daughter instead of Gohan's," Bulma laughed and Vegeta snorted at the comment.

Yes, Kakarot had laughed at that same thing at one point, as well.

"A disturbing notion, I'm sure."

"She's practically one of ours anyways," the blue haired genius laughed softly, thinking of the ebony haired girl that had grown up alongside her own children. Yes, she was practically her second daughter as far as she was concerned. "Well, don't stay cooped up in here all night, honey."

And she was on her way out the door a moment later, leaving Vegeta to his thoughts once more. And as fate would have it, he had an awful lot to sort through.

With one last sip from his water bottle, he set it on the floor and headed to the control panel. Setting the gravity to 380 times Earth's usual gravity, he walked to the center of the room and waiting for the force to kick in.

He always did think better under pressure.

* * *

_And that wraps up chapter 1! :) How do you guys feels about it? Think it might be worth following? I hope so... Please let me know what you think, and remember! It's reviews that get faster updates! As much as favorites are appreciated, reviews are even more loved and inspire me to carry on~ _

_Thanks so much for reading~_

_~L-sama_


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